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Find out what to expect for this year's deer hunting seasons, including harvest reporting, disease monitoring and regional forecasts, in the 2022 deer hunting preview.
Before you head into the field, be sure to check the latest hunting regulations in your area by looking at the 2022 Hunting Digest.
Download digests
For on-demand digest access that travels where you do, without the need for internet access, download DNR hunting and fishing digests right to your phone! Find the current digests and downloading instructions at Michigan.gov/DNRDigests or through the DNR Hunt Fish mobile app.
Starting with the fall 2022 deer seasons, online harvest reporting is required for all hunters who successfully take a deer.
You will have up to 72 hours after taking a deer to report your harvest, and there are two ways to do it:
Answers to frequently asked questions are available for questions related to deer harvest reporting.
The reporting process is outlined in this video, and assistance for those experiencing technical difficulties will be available at a variety of locations around the state or by calling 517-284-9453 during normal business hours.
If you would like to commemorate the 2022 season with a deer patch, they will be available for purchase later this fall at Michigan.gov/DNRLicenses or in the DNR mobile app for $8 each, while supplies last.
The sections below refer to specific pages of the 2022 Hunting Digest for more information on these topics.
Baiting and feeding
Baiting and feeding is banned in the entire Lower Peninsula and the Core Chronic Wasting Disease Surveillance Area in the Upper Peninsula.
- Exception: During the Liberty and Independence hunts only, hunters with disabilities who meet specific requirements may use bait in areas where baiting is banned. See pages 43-44.
- See pages 56 and 61-62 for additional information about the baiting and feeding bans.
Universal antlerless license
- Universal antlerless deer licenses may be used on public or private land in any deer management unit open to antlerless hunting. See pages 47-48.
- Some hunters in the Upper Peninsula (DMU 351 and 352) will need to have an access permit along with a universal antlerless deer license to hunt antlerless deer. See pages 60-61.
Check access permit drawing results online
- If you applied for an antlerless deer hunting access permit in the Upper Peninsula or a reserved hunt at Sharonville State Game Area, Shiawassee River National Wildlife Refuge or Shiawassee River State Game Area, those application results are available online.
Antler point restrictions (APR)
- Mainland Lower Peninsula hunters may harvest an antlered or antlerless deer with their deer or deer combo licenses during archery, firearm and muzzleloader seasons.
- Be sure to check the APR chart before heading out this year:
- Lower Peninsula APR chart, see pages 53-55.
- Upper Peninsula APR chart, see pages 58-59.
Deer stations: disease sample submission sites
Our new harvest reporting system should make it easier for you to understand if you are in a location where the DNR is looking for volunteers to submit their deer for testing. If you are in one of the disease surveillance zones, you will see a message on the harvest report confirmation page asking you to submit your deer head for testing, along with locations of where you can submit your deer head or sample for testing. You can also find a list of disease sample submission sites here.
Check stations will be focused in places where we need to gather physical samples for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) and chronic wasting disease (CWD). This allows us to maximize our use of staff resources for disease surveillance purposes. Harvested animals must be reported using the online harvest reporting system.
CWD surveillance and testing
Support from hunters and landowners in this year’s CWD surveillance counties is needed to inform the state’s CWD surveillance plan. Early detection of the disease is an important part of the state’s management philosophy.
In August, a sick-acting, 4-year-old doe was reported in Somerset Township of Hillsdale County, just across the border from Jackson County. This deer tested positive for CWD, and Hillsdale County became the state’s 11th county where the disease has been detected, though given the proximity to CWD-positive deer previously identified in Jackson County, the location is not surprising. The DNR will continue to conduct surveillance in Hillsdale County to help understand the extent of the disease.
Hunters who harvest a deer in one of the nine counties where CWD has previously been detected can submit deer heads for testing via a drop box or submit lymph nodes for testing to a U.S. Department of Agriculture laboratory for no charge. To get a free lymph node shipping kit, hunters can contact their local DNR office in Clinton, Dickinson, Eaton, Gratiot, Ingham, Ionia, Jackson, Kent and Montcalm counties. More information on this testing program is available at Michigan.gov/CWD under "For Hunters."
Testing in Isabella and Hillsdale counties, the state’s other two counties where CWD has been detected, is available to hunters at an area disease sample submission site.
Testing for a fee
In the remainder of the state, if you want your deer heads tested for CWD, you may submit them to a participating USDA-approved lab at any time for testing. You will be charged a fee to have your deer heads tested. Visit Michigan.gov/CWD and click on "For Hunters" for more information about participating USDA-approved lab testing.
Questions?
Contact the DNR Wildlife Division at 517-284-9453.
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